Caledonia

Caledonia was an India-built country ship launched at Calcutta in 1795 and later entered in the Registry of Great Britain. In the context of the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century British maritime system, a country ship was a vessel based in Asia and engaged in regional or long-distance trade, often operating under arrangements connected with the British East India Company (EIC). Caledonia appears to have participated in a British expedition associated with Ceylon and the Moluccas in 1795–1796, although the available account does not establish every detail of her role in that operation. Her documented commercial career included three voyages between India and Britain under EIC arrangements. On the first voyage, Captain Alexander Ballantyne took the ship from Calcutta in 1796. Caledonia called at Saugor, the Cape of Good Hope, St Helena, and Lisbon before reaching The Downs in April 1797. Lloyd's Register's supplemental material for that year listed Bannatyne as master, Gilmore as owner, and the vessel's trade as London–India. The ship was admitted to the Registry of Great Britain on 16 May 1797, reflecting its formal integration into the British maritime registry system. The second EIC voyage began in Bengal in January 1800 under Captain George Thomas. Caledonia reached St Helena in March and Long Reach in June. A third voyage followed in 1801–1802. After being recorded at Calcutta in June 1801, the vessel left Bengal in September, called at the Cape of Good Hope and St Helena, and arrived at Greenhithe in April 1802. It subsequently sailed again for Calcutta in August and returned to coastal or regional trade in India. Caledonia's career ended catastrophically in 1803. On 18 May she left Balasore Roads under Captain George Thomas on a voyage toward Bombay. On 29 July, while operating in Indian waters, a fire broke out aboard the ship. The vessel exploded before everyone could escape. Eighty-six of the 157 people aboard died, including the first, second, third, and fourth officers. The following day, Caledonia's longboat brought 57 survivors ashore at Versova, near Mumbai. The incident made the ship a historical example of the risks faced by India-built merchant vessels and their crews in the period of East India Company maritime commerce. No evidence in the supplied material connects Caledonia with a modern Spanish food brand; the authoritative subject is the 1795 ship.

Caledonia was launched at Calcutta in 1795, when Calcutta was a major center of shipbuilding and commercial activity within the British-controlled maritime economy of South Asia. The vessel was a country ship, meaning that it was based in Asia rather than being a regularly London-based vessel of the British East India Company. Such ships could nevertheless undertake voyages under EIC arrangements and participate in the wider imperial trade linking Indian ports, Britain, southern Africa, and Atlantic staging points. The ship may have taken part in a British expedition connected with Ceylon and the Moluccas during 1795–1796. The surviving account identifies Caledonia among country ships associated with expeditions in that period, but does not provide enough information to define her precise duties. Her first clearly documented EIC voyage began in 1796. Under Captain Alexander Ballantyne, she departed Calcutta and was recorded at Saugor on 25 May. She then sailed westward and northward through the established route to Britain, reaching the Cape of Good Hope on 29 September, St Helena on 28 October, Lisbon on 14 January 1797, and The Downs on 8 April. Following that voyage, supplemental Lloyd's Register material identified Bannatyne as master, Gilmore as owner, and London–India as the vessel's trade. Caledonia was formally admitted to the Registry of Great Britain on 16 May 1797. Records also document expenditure on refitting or fitting out for subsequent voyages. The first recorded fitting-out payment was made in July 1797, although the amount reflects historical accounting in pounds, shillings, and pence rather than a modern commercial valuation. Caledonia's second EIC voyage began when Captain George Thomas sailed from Bengal on 2 January 1800. The ship reached St Helena on 19 March and Long Reach on 2 June. A further fitting-out payment was recorded in September. On the third documented voyage, Thomas was at Calcutta on 18 June 1801. Caledonia left Bengal on 11 September, reached the Cape of Good Hope on 20 December, arrived at St Helena on 3 February 1802, and reached Greenhithe on 17 April. After another fitting-out period, she departed for Calcutta on 4 August 1802 and resumed coastal trading in India rather than immediately repeating the same long-distance route. The ship's final voyage began on 18 May 1803, when Caledonia left Balasore Roads bound for Bombay under Captain George Thomas. On 29 July, a fire broke out aboard the vessel and she exploded before the entire company could abandon ship. The disaster killed 86 of the 157 people aboard, including all four officers identified in the account: the first, second, third, and fourth officers. The following day, the ship's longboat landed 57 survivors at Versova near present-day Mumbai. The destruction of Caledonia ended a career that had lasted approximately eight years and included both intercontinental and Indian coastal service.

• 1803

  Destroyed by fire and explosion

  [1]Caledonia (1795 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Caledonia was destroyed on 29 July during a voyage from Balasore Roads toward Bombay; 86 people died and 57 survivors reached Versova.

• 1802

  Return to Indian coastal trade

  [1]Caledonia (1795 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  After sailing back toward Calcutta in August, Caledonia resumed coastal service in India.

• 1801

  Third EIC voyage begins

  [1]Caledonia (1795 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Caledonia left Bengal in September 1801 and reached Britain in April 1802 after calling at the Cape of Good Hope and St Helena.

• 1800

  Second EIC voyage

  [1]Caledonia (1795 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Captain George Thomas took Caledonia from Bengal to Britain, arriving at Long Reach in June.

• 1797

  Registered in Great Britain

  [1]Caledonia (1795 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Caledonia was admitted to the Registry of Great Britain on 16 May.

• 1796

  First documented East India Company voyage begins

  [1]Caledonia (1795 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Under Captain Alexander Ballantyne, Caledonia sailed from Calcutta toward Britain via the Cape of Good Hope, St Helena, and Lisbon.

• 1795

  Launched at Calcutta

  [1]Caledonia (1795 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  Caledonia was launched at Calcutta as an India-built country ship.

• 1795

  Possible expedition service

  [1]Caledonia (1795 ship)en.wikipedia.org

  The vessel appears on a list of country ships associated with British expeditions to Ceylon or the Moluccas in 1795–1796.

An India-built country ship operating within the British East India Company trading system, combining long-distance India–Britain voyages with later coastal trade in India.

• Country ship · 1795

  Caledonia

  An India-built merchant vessel launched at Calcutta in 1795. Caledonia operated in the British East India Company trading environment, completing three documented voyages between India and Britain before returning to coastal trade in India. The ship was destroyed by fire and explosion in 1803.

• 1797

  Formal integration into British registryStrategy

  Background

  After her first documented voyage to Britain, Caledonia was admitted to the Registry of Great Britain.

  Action taken

  The ship was registered on 16 May 1797 and prepared for further India-related service.

  Aftermath

  Caledonia continued operating on EIC-associated voyages and later returned to Indian coastal trade.

  Fitting-out expenditure. £2,927 3s 10d (27 July 1797)

  Source

1. 1Caledonia (1795 ship)en.wikipedia.org